Pulp and waste removing and fiber-cleaning machine.



W. S. GROVE. PULP AND WASIE REMOVING AND FIBER CLEANING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. I6, 1915.

Patented J an. 8, 1918,

WITNESSES m 6 m/m/m g f/ i N 2/ W M f q @MW Br To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, IVINrmLn S. Gnovn, a citizen of the United States. and a resident of the city of hlanila. Philippine Islands, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pulp and aste Removing and Fiber-Cleaning lviachines', of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pulp and waste removing and fiber cleaning machines.

In United States Patent No. 1.145 014, granted to me July 6th, 1915. there is shown and described a machine which is particularly adaptable foruse in removing pulp and waste from fiber and for eiiiciently cleaning the fiber. and particularly hemp fiber.

This invention. while not necessarily limited to a machine such as is shown and described in said patent. is particularly adapted and applicable for use in such class of machines.

According to the construction shown in said patent, a fiber or leaf is gripped at the top by suitable stock-holding mechanism,- sometimes referred to as work-holding mechanismand opposing stock-engaging members or decorticating tools are moved downwardly along the leaf away from said stockholding mechanism. or gripping mechanism as said stock-holding mechanism is some times called.

In the construction shown in the patent above referred to, the distance between the opposing stock-engaging members is depend ent upon their position in their carriages, which carriages are in turn maintained in position relative to each other by certain tracks along which the carriages travel.

In the machine which is the basis of said patent, the adjacent faces of the stock-engaging members extended straight for the full length and there were not provided between said members any stops for limiting the approach of said adjacent faces toward each other when said members were operating upon a leaf or fiber.

According to one phase of the present in vention, the opposing stock-engaging members are provided. either integral therewith or connected thereto, or directly located between them, with suitable stops that accurately define the minimum distance which the stock-engaging portion of said stock-engaging members or decorticating tools will approach each other when forced toward each other,

According to another phase of the inven- Specification of Letters Patent.

' Application filed March 16, 1915. Serial No. 14,855.

WINFIELD S. GROVE, 0F MANILA, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.

PULP AND WASTE REMOVING AND FIBER-CLEANING MACHINE.

Patented Jan. a, 1M8.

tion the opposing carriages are provided with ears or stops which prevent the carriages from approaching each other beyond cer tain limits, and the stocleengaging members are provided with retaining parts that engage the carriages so as to prevent said members from being forced toward each other beyond the limits determined by the retaining parts just referred to. Such a construction is disclosed in United States Patent No. 1,145,015, granted to me July 6th, 1915. of which patent this application is in some respects a continuation.

As showing a specific embodiment of the invention, reference is made to the drawing forming part of this specification and in which drawing,

Figure 1 shows in plan a cross-section of a pair or set of carriages having supported thereon opposing-stoch-engaging members or decorticating tools. In this figure the tracks along which said carriages travel are shown in cross section.

Fig. 2 is. a vertical sectional view taken as on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and in this figure there is shown a portion of the tracks along which the carriage travels; and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing the arrangement of a stock-holding mechanism supporting therein a work piece or stock, such as a leaf or other fibrous substance. which is beingoperated upon by three sets of opposing stock-engaging or decorticating members.

The stock-holding or gripping mechanism is indicated by the reference character A and a depending piece of stock secured therein by the reference character B. This piece of stock, which may be the leaf of a Manila hemp plant, is engaged in succession by the three sets of downward]y-movable-opposingstock-engaging members, namely, sets C. D and E. These 0pposing-stock-engagingmembers are mounted in carriages which travel along the tracks F. These tracks serve as means for receiving the thrusts from the opposing-st-ock-engaging-members that are transmitted to the tracks through the carriages. The sets of opposing-stock-engaging members travel in the paths indicated by the dotted lines G-G.

In order that anyone may appreciate the nicety of adjustment required between the opposing stock engaging members in machines of this type, it will be pointed out that I have found a very efi'ective arrangement to be to position the first tool or pulp All) knife, as it may be called, (sec set C) so that it can approach within seven thousandths (7/1000) of an inch from its op posing resisting member or tool, but not materially less than said distance. The knife immediately following, for instance in the set D, works on the opposite side of the fiber in thestock from that operated upon by the pulp knife; that is, the second knife operates on the glossy side of the stock or leaf. This second knife is set approximately six thousandths (6/1000) of an inch away from its resisting member. The neXt or following knife, for example the knife in set E, is set a little less than five thousandths (5/1000) of an inch from its opposing member, and should a fourth knife be used it is set a little less than four thousandths (at/1000) but not more than three thousandths (3/1000) of an inch away from itsfresisting member.

It will be'observed from an inspection of this Fig, 3 that theknives in each set engage the opposite side of the leaf from that en gaged by the knife immediately preceding it. As, however, the construction of the knives and their opposing resisting members and the carriages for supporting'them may be substantially all the same, a description of a knife of one set, itsresisting member and their carriages will suflice for all.

The opposing stock-engaging members or decorticating tools conuirise a knife land a resisting tool, block or member 2, which knife and member are respectively slidably mounted in the carriages 3 and 3. These carriages are substantially alike and are provided with anti-friction rollers -11 which travel along the tracks F, indicated in Fig. 3 and shown in cross-section in Fig. 1.

The carriages are provided with sockets for receiving therein the coiled compression springs 5, the inner ends of which springs either engage the knife or its opposing re-' si'sting member, as the case may be, and the outer 'ends'of which springs are seated on the screw-threaded plugs (3 that serve. as means for controlling the adjustment of said springs. The outward thrust from the knife, that'is, the thrust of the knife in a direction away from the stock when being operated upon,.,or,'the resisting member'as the case may be, is first received by the springs, through them transmitted to the carriages, and finally through the rollers or wheelsd on the carriagestransmitted to the tracks or resisting members F. The carriages are propelled along the tracks by any suitable mechanism, such as an endless chain, which may be connected to the carriages by the pins 7.

From an inspection of Figs. 1 and 2 it will be observed that a roller 8 engages an ear 9 whereby the opposing carriages will be retained in substantially the'correct spaced position relative to each other.

In order, however, to insure a correct position of the knife relative to the resisting member, either the resisting-member or the knife is also provided with steps that are preferably integral therewith or connected thereto. In the construction shown, the stops just referred to are designated by 10 and they are integral with the knife. It will be noted that these stops directly engage the opposing resisting member at the points "11 and thus insure the desired distance being maintained at X betwen the knife and its re sisting member. As above stated, this distance in'the first set of knives, for instance in the set C,'is approximately 7/1000 of an inch, whereas in the second set D it is about 6/1000 of an inch. The stops on the knife are maintained in position, or tendto be maintained in said position, in engagement with the resisting member by means of the compression springs 5 previously referred to when the opposing stock engaging members are traveling downwardly along the work piece or stock. It will be manifest, however, that the stops could both be prorided on the resisting member, or that one stop could be provided on the'knife atone end thereof, while another could be" provided onthe opposite end of the resisting member, or that stops or spacing members could be carried so as to be located between the opposing stock-engaging-members.

The rollers 8 could each be provided on the same carriage while the ears '9 could be provided on the opposite carriage instead of the constructionshown in Fig. 1, without materially changing the function or mode of operation of the said parts. The rollers 8. and their cooperating ears 9 may be considered as constituting carriage stops which retain the marriages and indirectly the knives a desired distance apart. 7 I

-The knives are also provided with the bolt connections or knife retaining parts 12 which, by a proper engagement with the carriages,=prevent the knives from moving out of the carriage toward the stock being operated upon beyond a vcertainqdistance when the stock-engaging members are ope posed to each other. 5

--The improvements herein set forth are not limited'to the precise construction andarrangement shown and described, as they may be embodied in various forms and modifications without departingifrom' the spirit and scopeof the invention.

I claim as my invention- '1. An apparatus of theclass described, comprising a set ofopposing stocleeiigaging members, a set of opposing carriages in which said set of stock-engaging members are movably mounted, .a track along which said carriages move in engagement therewith, means carried by said carriages for forcing said opposing stock-engaging members toward each other, and means between each of said opposing stockengaging members and its carriage for retaining the proper stock-engaging member in place on its carriage, said opposing carriages being provided with means which engage each other whereby the carriages will, be prevented from approaching each other beyond a certain limit.

2. In a machine of the class described, opposing stock-engaging members or decorticating tools, a set of carriages for said members, each carriage of said set carrying one of said stock-engaging members or decorticating tools, tracks on which said carriages move in engagement therewith, and means on said set of carriages for preventing said carriages from approaching each other beyond a certain distance.

In a fiber cleaning machine, two opposing tool carrying carriages constituting a set of carriages, tracks along which said carriages are moved, one of said carriages being provided with a roller which engages an opposing car on the other carriage for retaining the carriages in a certain spaced relation relative to each other, at least one of said carriages having thereupon a decorticating tool which is movable relative to its carriage.

at. In a machine of the class described, tracks, and opposing decorticating members between and movable along .-aid tracks, said decorticating members comprising a knife and a resisting member, one of the members being provided with stops that engage its opposing member whereby said decorticating members will be retained in a certain spaced relation relative to each other.

5. In a machine of the class described, tracks, and opposing decorticating members comprising a knife and a resisting member, the knife being provided with stops which are arranged to engage the resisting member whereby the stock-engaging portion of the knife will be prevented from approaching the opposing member beyond a certain distance, the opposing decorticating members being movable along said tracks and the construction being such that the tracks serve as means for receiving the thrust from the opposing decorticating members.

6. In a machine of the class described, opposed tracks, and opposing decorticating members, said decorticating members comprising a spring pressed knife member and a resisting member having provided between them, at the ends thereof, stops for preventing the said knife member and resisting member from approaching each other beyond acertain distance, said tracks being arranged to receive the outward thrust of the decorticating members.

a iii 7, A machine of the class described comprising tracks, a knife member and an opposing resisting member which together constitute a set of decorticating tools, said members having provided between them stops for preventing them from approaching each other beyond certain limits, said set of decorticating tools being movable along the space between said tracks and the construction being such that said tracks receive the outward thrust of said decorticating tools.

8. In a machine of the class described track members, a set of carriages movable along said track members, opposing stockengaging members or decorticating tools, one of said decorticating tools being on one of the carriages and the other of said decorti' eating tools being on the other of said carriages, and stops between said opposing tools whereby said tools will be retained in a certain spaced relation relative to each other.

9. I11 a fiber cleaning machine opposing tool carriages, tracks along which said carriages are moved, opposing decorticating tools or members on said carriages one of which members is provided with a stop that engages its opposing member whereby the stock-engaging portion of said member will be prevented from approaching its opposing member beyond a certain distance.

10. In a fiber cleaning machine opposing carriages, tracks along which said carriages are moved, a set of decorticating members or tools, one of which is mounted on one of said carriages and the other of which is mounted on the other of said carriages, one of said decorticating members being a knife and the other a resisting member, there being stops between said knife member and said resisting member for preventing said members approaching each other beyond certain limits.

11. A machine of the class described conr prising a. set of opposing stock-engaging members or decorticating tools, a set of carriages for said members, each of said earriages carrying one of said stock-engaging members or decorticating tools, tracks alon which said set of carriages travel, one of said decorticating tools being a knife and the other a resisting member, said knife being provided with stops which are arranged to engage the resisting member whereby said knife will be prevented from approacl'iing said resisting member beyond a certain dis tance.

This specification signed and witnessed this 26th day of January, A. D. 1915.

IVINFIELD S. GROVE.

E. PALOME.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

